Romania's environment minister summons Romsilva over 28.25 million lei in no-tender contracts

ANAP findings trigger urgent summons

Romania's interim Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Diana Buzoianu, announced on 15 August 2026 that she will urgently summon the leadership of Romsilva, the state forestry agency, to the Ministry of Environment. The decision follows an analysis published on 14 August by the National Agency for Public Procurement (ANAP) showing that Romsilva conducted 371 procurement procedures without prior publication in 2025, with a total awarded value of 28.25 million lei. This places the agency second nationally among institutions resorting to such procedures.

Buzoianu disclosed the figures in a Facebook post on Saturday, citing the ANAP analysis directly. She stated that 82.75% of the no-publication procedures were justified by Romsilva representatives under the pretext of extreme urgency.

Minister demands corrective measures

Buzoianu framed the procurement data as part of a broader pattern requiring reform at the agency.

“I will urgently summon the Romsilva leadership to the Ministry of Environment to see what measures will be taken by Romsilva's representatives to rectify this reality.”

ANAP president Raluca Rogoz emphasised that negotiation without prior publication represents an exception to competitive awarding procedures and that the identified level of use justifies careful and constant monitoring. The ANAP report was transmitted to the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and brought to the attention of Romania's Court of Auditors and the Competition Council for analysis and, where applicable, for measures within their legal competence.

Procedures without publication371

Justified as extreme urgency (%)82.75

Total value (million lei)28.25

Procedures without publication

371

Justified as extreme urgency (%)

82.75

Total value (million lei)

28.25

Data from the article text

Prior clash over collective labour agreement

The procurement summons comes only two days after a separate confrontation between Buzoianu and Romsilva's leadership over the agency's collective labour agreement, negotiated with the Silva union federation. Buzoianu alleged that Romsilva committed through the agreement to provide institutional vehicles for street protests organised against forestry system reforms.

“Do you think the negotiations were about how foresters going on night patrols through the forests could be safer? No.”

Both Romsilva representatives and union leaders rejected the accusation. They stated that the forced interpretation, according to which the provision would imply making Romsilva transport available for organising protests, is not supported by the wording of the invoked article or by how it is applied in practice. Unionists called on the minister to cease what they termed a dirty attack on foresters and to respect the law.

Reorganisation already in motion

The disputes form part of a wider reform effort at Romsilva. In June 2026, Buzoianu announced that the Ministry had approved the organigrams for the new regional forestry directorates within Romsilva, a step in the agency's reorganisation process. Under the approved plans, the number of directors will be reduced from 101 to 38. Additionally, 16 service chief positions will be created for areas needing coordination but where director-level posts are no longer justified. The documents still require approval from Romsilva's own leadership.

Buzoianu has repeatedly stated that each day in the ministry demonstrates the need to reform Romsilva, linking the procurement findings and the labour agreement dispute to her broader push for structural change at the agency.